THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE

I've had the luxury of being able to follow a particular Belgian post rock outfit, Battlestations, since their inception four years ago now, in 2011. Their first self-titled album, released back in 2011, came to me as a promotional copy and I was skeptical at first. The gloomy, dark art of the album; the misty, ominous aura of the song titles and band origin, and the entire atmosphere of the whole package seemed slightly off as I first peeled off the shrink wrap of their first album. Upon listening, however, I was pleasantly surprised ? this band's music was just as ominous as the album presentation made it seem, but this was a good thing. Battlestations, from the very beginning, have been experts at weaving intricate, ominous, and perfectly atmospheric soundscapes that can put a chill in even the warmest room.

When the band reached out to me to see if I was interested in reviewing their work for the third time, I excitedly accepted. Their third album, The Extent of Damage, seemed as ominous as the first two, and when the package arrived, this assumption was solidified in fact. The album's artwork, titles, and packaging was full of mist and mystery and I could tell, even before sliding the CD into a player, that this album would full of brooding and atmosphere. Boy was I right. The album opens with a slow, lumbering beast of a song - "Necro" - which opens the album slowly and darkly into the atmospheric trip that the album is. This first song paints a very gloomy landscape ? an almost Transylvanian landscape, it seems ? of the location this album takes in the soundscape. The 12-minute opener is a slow and steady beast that builds over its play time, finally crescendoing into an intense, noisy conclusion that can send shivers down the listener's spine.

The entire album seems to follow the cues of the opener. The album's remaining tracks roll over the listener's ears like mist on a foggy morning on a dark, hilly field - the music is dark and insidious, yet beautiful at the same time. It's clear that the artist has put time and care into each and every soundscape as the album moves forward, as every sound and space seems to fit together. While I believe the sound could be a bit more 'full' in its production, as at times I felt as though the sound lacked power where it needed it or was a bit overbearing where it needed to be calm, the entire album was very well put together in its placement of themes and parts.

The album's dark, multivaried nature is likely exemplified by my favorite track of the album, "They Sleep While We Burn." The song, which opens with a creeping, haunting synth rhythm, flows effortlessly into a sweeping soundscape full of drums and synths, painting a voluminous picture of horror and beauty woven into one. The almost industrial nature of the song gives the song a particularly cold atmosphere, but the washes of synths and soundscapes fill out the song's atmosphere with a wintery cool feeling. Personally, I feel as though this song is the absolute best display of the band's prowess in shifting atmospheres and themes, and the band showed an expertise in transitions that has grown immensely since their first two albums.

Overall, this is easily one of the stronger releases from the band. Cold and ominous, the album very much so follows suit with the rest of the band's material, but this album focuses strongly on long, drawn out soundscapes. The band really tried to paint vivid pictures with their music, and throughout the album it's clear that they succeeded in this endeavor. While I wish they perhaps put some more drive in some parts where more bass or rhythmic power could be used, there were very few parts that I thought needed anything extra added. The album, altogether, was phenomenally put together and is an excellent choice for the listener that is a fan of atmospheric music, especially those in the more artistic film scores of dystopian films or of older horror films. I am continually being impressed by this band, and this album is no exception. 4+ stars.